Guardrails in Lithuania
From 2019, the United States Army actively deploys the Beech RC-12X Guardrail to Lithuania where they conduct Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions along the border with Belarus and Kaliningrad on a near daily basis.Kaliningrad is an Oblast federal subject and exclave of Russia located on the coast of the Baltic Sea.
The Guardrails are operated by Company D/204th Military Intelligence Battalion Vigilant Hunters. The home base of this unit is at El Paso/Biggs AAF (TX), also known as Fort Bliss. In Lithuania the aircraft operate from Siauliai Air Base.
The RC-12X, also known as Guardrail Common Sensor (GRCS), is a Special Electronic Mission Aircraft that provides Aerial Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (AISR) capability. The systems are designed to provide the timely, accurate and tactical signal intelligence, or SIGINT, to commanders. Intelligence gathered during missions is sent back to analysts operating in ground stations mostly outside hostile areas.
According to Scramble Magazine, the detachment at Šiauliai has two RC-12Xs active since December 2019 plus a C-12U-3 Huron for liaison flights. In March and April 2021 two additional Guardrails were flown from Fort Bliss (TX) to Lithuania.
The detachment at Šiauliai has the following aircraft:
Photo by Ramon Berk (Scramble Archive)